


Pining

by Kalira



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Awkward Flail Uchiha, Care, Community: trope_bingo, Crushes, Fix-It, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Insecurity, KakaObi Week 2020, Kissing, M/M, Obito Rescued From Madara's Depression Cave, Orochimaru Has All The Competence, Orochimaru is Kakashi's Mama, Pining, Scars, Trope Bingo Round 14, Wingfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-15
Updated: 2020-02-15
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:53:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22345927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kalira/pseuds/Kalira
Summary: Obito can't help but get caught up watching his friend, the most gorgeous creature on wings, at times, but he never intended to do anything more than watch and pine. Fortunately for him, Rin is all out of patience watching his pining, and is prepared to deliver a gentle . . .push.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Uchiha Obito
Comments: 18
Kudos: 336
Collections: KakaObi Week 2020, Kalira's KakaObi Week Stories (2020), Trope Bingo Round 14, Trope Bingo: Round Fourteen





	Pining

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [KakaObi Week 2020](https://kakaobiweek.tumblr.com/post/188302902444/kakaobi-week-2020), Day 6: Scars
> 
> Also written for my Trope Bingo [board](https://kalira.dreamwidth.org/24550.html), to fill the square wing fic.

Kakashi twisted gracefully, a slender streak in the sky that bowed in ways that made Obito wince just a little - ways no one _quite_ human really quite should, not without something inside being broken. He dove, his shimmering silver-dark wings angled sharply as he dropped with blinding speed.

Obito sighed, leaning against one of the upright logs used for strike drills. He had already used a flicker of mokuton to smooth its splintered surface earlier, before he grew distracted. Kakashi cut into a sharp curve as he neared the ground, launching himself briefly higher before his momentum faded as he pulled his wings back, then dropping a couple of meters to land neatly on his feet, wings folded before he hit the ground.

He immediately moved into a kata, drawing his family tanto and sliding into a fast-paced drill without so much as pausing for breath.

Obito sighed again, his feathers ruffling as his fingers dug into the wood beside him.

“Really?”

Obito jumped, twisting to look at Rin with wide eyes. He hadn’t heard her coming. She smiled at him, amusement flashing in her warm eyes, then shook her head. “This is what we’re doing now?”

“I don’t know what you mean. . .” Obito began cautiously.

“You’re _literally_ sighing over him and all but swooning. If that weren’t here,” Rin asked, pointing at the log he now realised he was clinging to, “would you even be upright? Look, I get the crush, I do,” she flushed a little; Obito knew she had outgrown her crush on Kakashi several years ago and was . . . sadly grateful, “but he’s not _that_ pretty.”

“Rin!” Obito whined, looking around warily. Kakashi was still far enough away there was no _way_ he could have heard them - and they were both quite familiar with exactly how sharp Kakashi’s senses were - but Obito’s heart thumped hard with his alarm all the same. And. . .

Well, Kakashi _was_. At least to Obito. He was as dangerously beautiful as his mother, but without the eerie edge. His eyes followed Kakashi as he twisted and lunged and leapt.

“Come on, just go _talk to him_ , Obito.” Rin urged, bumping bodily into him. “You know he’s-”

“No!” Obito whispered harshly, shaking his head, eye wide as he turned to face Rin. “No, I couldn’t possibly- He didn’t even like me when we were _kids_ , Rin, I can’t just. . .” He whined miserably.

Rin blinked, then frowned. “Obito, you know better than to think things- things are still as they were then, don’t you?” she asked, squeezing his forearm. The same one that had been inhumanly pale and not quite steady in its own shape for some time, until Kakashi’s mother had interfered, and now looked just as it had before the horrible injuries he’d sustained, though with the addition of the scars higher up and across his shoulder.

_Orochimaru tsked, eyes narrowed as he drew cool fingertips down Obito’s new arm. It was . . . unsettling, but not nearly so as Madara had been, or the- the weird creature that had. . . Obito shuddered._

_Orochimaru began muttering to himself, and Obito focused on his words._

_“Incompetent, **ridiculous** , honestly. . .” Orochimaru hissed, shaking his head, as Obito tried to find his own voice. Orochimaru touched his shoulder, then his all but mangled wing, and Obito’s throat felt like it was closing off, as it had every time he had so much as thought about his broken-beyond-repair wing. “No, no, no. This won’t do.” Orochimaru straightened and turned away in one smooth movement, and he was striding off before Obito managed to say anything._

_“Erm?” Obito said faintly._

_“Don’t worry.” Kakashi said quietly; Obito had somehow managed to all but forget he was there. “He’s just going to do better himself.”_

_Obito made a thin, high-pitched sound that he couldn’t quite swallow back._

_Kakashi pushed off the wall he had been leaning on and came closer to the narrow, high bed Obito had been urged onto at least an hour ago. He patted Obito’s shoulder gently, then moved around him to his- his **undamaged** side, hand barely touching his arm as it drifting down to brush his own._

_Orochimaru reappeared without a sound and Obito caught hold of Kakashi’s hand desperately tightly, clinging to him._

_“Don’t worry.” Kakashi said again, gently squeezing Obito’s hand, not trying to pull away._

_Orochimaru wound his hair up into a knot, pinning it there deftly. “Now. A start.” he said, frowning slightly as he looked at Obito._

_“Kakashi-kun- I- Kakashi?” Obito tried not to whimper again._

_“Obito-kun?” Kakashi returned gently, leaning over him, wings arched a little._

_“Will you- Can- Erm?”_

_“Kakashi may stay.” Orochimaru said smoothly, and Obito closed his eye for a moment, shuddering. “Cubling?”_

_“I’ll stay.” Kakashi said easily. “If that’s what you want, Obito.”_

_He nodded hurriedly, swallowing against the thick lump in his throat, not quite able to give voice to the ‘please’ he so desperately meant._

. . .and Kakashi had. Not only then, but he had been there every time Orochimaru had worked on the replacement limbs Madara had grafted onto Obito, improving them, and stabilised his body, and even given him back _flight_ , fixing his wing - strengthening it, straightening it, repairing bone and smoothing feathers as they grew in new again.

Orochimaru was . . . unnerving, but he was familiar, now. He had done so much for Obito, and been so careful - so caring - with him that Obito couldn’t possibly be frightened of him any longer.

And Kakashi had willingly stayed by his side for every bit of that long process, turning up without being asked, a comfortingly steady presence. Obito would never have thought, when they were younger, that Kakashi could _be_ such a comfort to him one day.

Obito didn’t really like to admit it, but he thought realising his admiration, his _feelings_ , for Kakashi would have been . . . less of a surprise to his younger self than the fact of Kakashi becoming a comforting figure to him.

“Do you really think he’d be so cold now?” Rin asked, jabbing him with her elbow.

“No.” Obito said softly, eye straying back to Kakashi, who had put away his tanto and was now moving through slow, impossible stretches. “No, he wouldn’t be so cold. Or cruel.”

“Exactly. He’s your _friend_ , and more than,” Rin said firmly, “so you should-”

“Rin.” Obito interrupted her, pulling backwards against her tug as she tried to haul him away from the post. “Rin it’s- It’s not that.” he admitted in a whisper. “I know better than to think Kakashi is the same as he was when we were little, it’s not. . .”

“Then what _is_ it?” Rin demanded impatiently, and Obito’s breath caught.

“Kakashi- Kakashi is _beautiful_ , and strong, and brilliant, and he always has been.” Obito said in a rush, voice low. “He’s sharp and elegant and-” He was his mother’s son, Obito had seen while Orochimaru was working on him, though before he - like most of Konoha - had seen only the White Fang’s heir, the young scion of the Hatake with every bit of the strength that name promised. “His wings are gorgeous and he’s one of the best fliers I’ve ever seen and he’s stronger and _better_ than most ninja twice our age and he’s loyal and determined and-”

“ _Obito._ ” Rin interrupted. “Honestly, I know you have a crush,” she grinned as she arched her eyebrows at him, “and I _do_ know Kakashi. You don’t have to-”

“He’s _all of that_ and- and more . . . and I’m stronger than I was maybe but I’m _broken_ and scarred and a _mess_ ,” Obito forced out, grabbing her arm, “I’m only stronger because my crazy ancestor shoved something weird into me and I’m only as capable as I _am_ because of Orochimaru-sama and- and my _wings_ are a mess,” he almost whimpered as he voice that stinging hurt - they always had been; he had his father’s short feathers, and even before he’d had the ability to channel mokuton, which had a tendency to muss his feathers horribly for some reason, they’d looked fluffy and tousled most of the time rather than aspiring to ‘sleek’ or even ‘well-kept’, but _now_ , “and _they aren’t even matched any more_.”

The right one had been mended, and Obito would never stop being grateful to Orochimaru for that, but where once there had been stark, but shining Uchiha black feathers, his right wing now retained those black feathers near his back and shoulder, but faded through several shades of brown and splotches of white further along the wing. The primaries and secondaries were all a flat, dull white.

Obito could _fly_ again and he wouldn’t trade that for anything, but his wings, much as he loved them, were now a strikingly unattractive mess that he would hardly blame _any_ potential mate for being given pause by, let alone one so- so-

Obito shook his head, rubbing his face and sniffing as Rin tried to talk to him. “No. It’s not that I think Kakashi is the same, but I’m not. . . _I_ haven’t changed enough-”

“You’re stronger because you _worked at it_ , Obito!” Rin said, grabbing his shoulder. “Don’t fob it off, if you hadn’t trained you _wouldn’t_ be so strong, just like me. No matter what was- was done to you.”

“You’ve changed very much.”

Obito’s eye snapped wide open as he raised his head. Kakashi cocked his own. “Did you really try to say you’re only strong because of what _others_ have done, and not your own work?” he asked, voice low.

“Kakashi.” Obito said faintly.

“Mama may have saved you and brought you home,” Kakashi said, his eye narrowing a little, “and _helped_ you, but _you_ put in the work, or it wouldn’t have mattered.”

“Kakashi, I-”

“And he wouldn’t have helped you.” Kakashi continued, ignoring Obito. “Kept helping you, anyway. Not if you didn’t work yourself.”

“ _Kakashi_ ,” Obito tried again, helplessly, resisting the dreadfully strong urge to hide in his own wings, “please tell me you didn’t-”

“What?” Kakashi asked, shifting one shoulder with the softest ruffling sound of his feathers brushing over each other.

“You didn’t hear the . . . that I. . .” Obito couldn’t quite wring out the words; if Kakashi _hadn’t_ heard what he had spilled out to Rin Obito wasn’t going to say it for him _now_.

Rin suddenly stepped away from him, and Obito yelped as she reached past one of his wings to _shove him_ , sending him crashing into Kakashi before he could push back against her hand. Kakashi rocked back slightly, wings spreading for balance as he caught Obito and steadied him.

“Rin? What-”

“He’s been bemoaning how you’d never look at him the way he _gazes longingly_ at you when you’re not looking,” Rin said, skipping out of the way as Obito spread his wings in a quick, lashing snap, trying to reach her and _hit her_ with the solid leading edge of the nearer one, “I’m tired of listening to him be miserable and he wouldn’t talk to you! I _told_ him-”

“ _Rin!_ ” Obito yelled, twisting to lunge after her only to stumble as Kakashi didn’t let him go and he found himself trapped in his friend’s arms. Obito glanced back at Kakashi, then cringed, stifling the urge to wail as he bent forwards, wings puffing up and shoulders tense.

Kakashi’s wings swept forwards and closed around him, and Obito whined, pushing thoughtlessly closer to Kakashi’s body inside their comforting shelter, despite Kakashi being half the source of his distress. Kakashi hushed him, fingers running through his feathers and making him shiver and fight to hold back a moan.

“Obito, you. . . It’s all right.” Kakashi said, voice low.

“No it’s _not_ , oh, _kami_. . . I can’t believe she _told you_ that.” Obito said, though it was actually entirely believable Rin had, he just _really wished_ it were not true.

“Well. Ah.” Kakashi said, and Obito bit his lip, cringing. “It wasn’t actually a surprise. You haven’t been the most subtle, ‘bito.”

“ _What?_ ” Obito asked, eye wide, pulling back and staring at Kakashi. He had braced his hands on Kakashi’s chest, and the contact momentarily gave him pause because Kakashi was so much more slender than his father that he sometimes seemed willowy but he was _solid_ and sometimes Obito forgot how much. He swallowed, not quite pushing back far enough to force Kakashi’s wings open or away from himself. “I. . . Kakashi?”

Kakashi smiled slightly at him, reaching out slowly, and Obito froze. Kakashi stroked his cheek, then ruffled his feathers again with a gentle touch. “I watched you follow after Rin for years . . . and now you trail after me. You watch me when I practise kata in the back garden at home, and I didn’t go flying last week because when I asked you to come along you looked _faint_. And when I touch you. . .”

Kakashi stroked his feathers and Obito shivered, a sound catching in his throat. Kakashi tugged him a tiny bit closer, wings arching higher around them. “Not to mention,” he said, taking a deep breath, “I’ve got my father’s nose . . . you know that.”

Obito frowned. “Yes, I know- Oh. _Oh._ Fuck.” His father’s nose. The White Fang. A _Hatake wolf’s_ nose. “You can smell. . .”

“All manner of things.” Kakashi said dryly.

“Oh _kami_ , I don’t need a boyfriend I need a _hole in the ground to hide in forever_.” Obito whimpered, bowing his head and hiding in his hands.

Kakashi pulled him closer still, his arms nearly brushing Kakashi’s chest, wings sliding along the inside of Kakashi’s own. “We pulled you out of one forgotten hole in the ground,” Kakashi said softly, “no more of that. So,” he paused as Obito peeked around his hand, his own feathers fluffing up, “with a hole to hide in being forbidden, I can only offer . . . boyfriend?” he said quietly, lowering his head and eyeing Obito sidelong.

Obito’s breath caught and he dropped his hands. “I- Really?” he asked, stunned.

Kakashi nudged his nose against Obito’s, whining softly low in his throat. “If that’s what you want . . . then . . . yes. I would like you for my mate.” he said quietly.

Obito’s heart fluttered, his throat tight. He blinked rapidly, struggling to catch his breath. Kakashi whined again, gently nosing his cheek, fingers tentatively brushing through his feathers. Obito managed a nod, gaze sliding from Kakashi’s face to one of his striking wings, then reaching for it impulsively.

Obito’s fingers sank into sleek, shining silvery feathers and Kakashi shivered against him, arms settling around his waist and lean body relaxing startlingly. Obito smiled, relaxing a little himself, then tensed again as Kakashi tugged at him suddenly, their bodies pressed flush to one another and-

Obito’s fingers curled into Kakashi’s feathers as he closed his eye and returned Kakashi’s kiss with a low moan, wrapping his free arm around Kakashi’s neck. It took him several minutes, by which time Kakashi was nuzzling his face and brushing lazier kisses to the corner of his mouth and across the scarred half of his face - a shudder ran through Obito, but he couldn’t quite get distressed about the kisses there when they were accompanied by Kakashi’s happy hums and nuzzling affection - to realise that Kakashi’s mask must be down.

Obito’s eye widened. “Kakashi?” he said softly.

Kakashi rumbled low in his throat but didn’t speak, a gentle nip at Obito’s jaw making him shiver. “You have- Your mask?” he said, trying to keep his gaze on Kakashi’s wing rather than stare.

“Did you think I would hide from my mate?” Kakashi asked, voice low and soft, lips brushing his cheek. “Besides,” he added, with a warm little ripple of laughter, “I want to _kiss you_ . . . and I want you to kiss me. As much as you like.”

Obito leaned back and met Kakashi’s gaze. Kakashi smiled, and Obito’s eye slid down to his mouth. It was thin, but not so sharp as his mother’s, and as he smiled it was pulled slightly crooked with the scar that emerged from beneath his hitai-ate and just barely reached his top lip.

Obito raised his eye to meet Kakashi’s gaze again, and he cocked his head, making a curious sound. Obito drew a breath, then pulled Kakashi in and kissed him again, soft and slow, nestling into the curve of his long, elegant wings still wrapped around them both.

Kakashi’s arms wound a little tighter around his waist as he opened to Obito’s kiss, and he shivered, moaning, as Obito buried his fingers in those sleek feathers. His hands kneaded at Obito’s lower back as he leaned into the touch, and Obito grinned against his mouth. “Teasing.” Kakashi said, lips brushing his own.

“I’ll preen them properly if you let me.” Obito said immediately, and winced. He hadn’t meant to let that-

“ _Mm_ , will you?” Kakashi asked, arching against him. “Will you let me?”

Obito hesitated. “I- My wings- That is. . .”

Kakashi drew back, pouting, and oh, Obito had never _seen_ him pout, not really, not with his mouth covered all the time, and it was _adorable_ and also a little sexy and it made Obito want to hug him and kiss him and give him whatever he wanted. “’bito. . .”

“I’m just not very. . . Erm.” Obito said, swallowing thickly.

“I _want_ to preen your wings. Not if you don’t want me to,” Kakashi corrected immediately, “but. . . I don’t want you to say no because you think I won’t. . .” He frowned and whined softly again. The look in his eye was hopeful and sad and a little pitiful.

Obito bit his lip, but nodded slowly. He loved his wings - they were strong, strong as they’d ever been and stronger now, as he had grown, and he loved to fly - but he had looked at them, and seen the way others did, and thought. . .

Obito pressed himself back against Kakashi’s chest, closing him in a tight hug and flaring his own wings. He had thought no one would _like_ to get their hands on his wings, let alone ask for it, _want_ to do so. Kakashi folded his wings back and Obito glanced along his own mottled right wing, then back at Kakashi. He cocked his head curiously.

Obito rolled his shoulders and let his wings fold away, then tugged Kakashi into another kiss, quicker this time before he pulled away. “I,” he said against Kakashi’s cheek, “would be very happy if you preened my wings. I really would.”

Kakashi made a soft, pleased sound and nuzzled his hair, warm and steady in Obito’s arms. Warmth curled in Obito’s chest as he ran his fingers through his boyfriend’s - his _mate’s_ \- feathers, and he tilted his head in hopes of another kiss which Kakashi offered eagerly, lingering and sweet.


End file.
